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I was in France (Lyon and Provence) a few months ago and I noticed that everyone kept saying a certain word when they handed me something. For example when I was sitting on a terrace or buying a baguette. I used to study French in high school for 3 years (and my girlfriend for 6) in the Netherlands but I (us both, actually) didn’t recognise the word, and still don’t know what they exactly said. Do people in Lyon or the South say something specific when handing something? Was it slang as I think most people were relatively young that said this?

It seemed to be an equivalent of the English “here you are”, when someone gives you something.

Bjorn
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  • This is a hard one to answer. I'm from the south and I have no idea what that mystery phrase could be. A typical phrase might be "et avec ça?" or "ce sera tout?", which something you will hear anywhere, not just in the south. I don't think there's any southern slang anymore, but there is a southern accent, maybe that's what threw you off. – PatrickT Sep 19 '22 at 06:16
  • Tenez ? Bon app ? If you said "thank you" before, maybe a very fast « j'vous en prie » ? – Derek Allums Sep 19 '22 at 08:57
  • Ah! They were saying “app”, indeed. Without the “bon” in front of it, which caused me to not recognise it as “bon appétit”. Is it common the shorten it like this in all of France? – Bjorn Sep 19 '22 at 10:22
  • @Bjorn Probably they were saying it very fast/shortened, so it sounds like « 'n app ». Anyway glad we could figure it out! – Derek Allums Sep 19 '22 at 11:07
  • @Bjorn unless you're good friends with all the shopkeepers in your neighborhood, it seems very unlikely that you heard the extremely informal "bon ap'" that much in a shop assistant/customer context. The usual short word that goes with handing something is "voilà", "tenez", or "voici" - regionally or more formally "s'il vous plait". – guillaume31 Sep 19 '22 at 12:29
  • @guillaume31 Actually, I heard it quite a lot when sitting on a terrace or restaurant (as tourists). I think at the bakery as well. However, my girlfriend and myself are in our late twenties, so perhaps people treat us less formally? Also, I’m pretty sure it was just “app” without “bon” or “‘n” in front of it, perhaps this might be a relatively new phenomenon then? – Bjorn Sep 19 '22 at 12:46
  • I agree with @guillaume31. In addition, nobody says bon app' when handling a drink and it is also very unlikely for a baker to say bon appetit for a baguette. – jlliagre Sep 19 '22 at 12:48
  • @jlliagre At the baker’s we might have also ordered something else which is ready-to-eat, like a croissant or pain au chocolat. However, at the terrace, I’m pretty positive it was just a drink on some occasions. – Bjorn Sep 19 '22 at 12:52
  • Bon appétit for a drink is like saying Enjoy your meal for a glass of water... – jlliagre Sep 19 '22 at 13:01
  • I understand the meaning of bon appétit and I see that it’s weird. However, when the “abbreviation” is this different from the original, wouldn’t it be possible that people start to use it in different contexts? That might be an explanation. Or someone just said it accidentally, like when the server says “enjoy your meal” and you accidentally respond with “you too”. – Bjorn Sep 19 '22 at 13:03
  • Expression idiomatique — bon appétit pour les boissons – jlliagre Sep 19 '22 at 13:05
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    Bon app' has exactly the same meaning as Bon appétit, only a change in register. I never had a waiter/cashier/baker telling me Bon app', only friends, colleagues, neighbours and close relatives. – jlliagre Sep 19 '22 at 13:11
  • I understand. People were saying app’ and not bon app’, as stated above, therefore my speculation that it might be slang. Besides, you not having heard this from someone else than friends, doesn’t negate my experiences, right? – Bjorn Sep 19 '22 at 13:22
  • By the way, Lyon is not usally considered being part of the south of France (the midi). – XouDo Sep 19 '22 at 15:02
  • Waiters/cashiers/bakers do not use slang with customers, regardless of their ages. A single eccentric one might have done so but not "everyone" as you wrote. – jlliagre Sep 19 '22 at 15:22
  • given the discussion, could have been « bon après-midi » and not « bon app », which I agree would be a very strange thing to say, except among friends. – PatrickT Sep 19 '22 at 15:46

2 Answers2

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It's likely they say the following when having processed your order (wanting to know if you want to order something else) :

  • Avec ceci ?

expected answer : "Ce sera tout, merci." or "Je vais prendre aussi ..."

  • Ce sera tout ?

same expected answer as above.

the following are more specific to act of giving you an object :

  • Voici.
  • Tenez.
  • Je vous prie.

or (but this one is less likely since it's from north or east of France) :

  • S'il vous plaît.
XouDo
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You may have heard Avec plaisir (literally "With pleasure" but rather "My pleasure").

This expression was initially common only in the South-West of France like in Toulouse where I first noticed it, but it tends to spread and has possibly reached Provence or even Lyon.

jlliagre
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    Pour moi, "avec plaisir" serait une réponse à un "merci" (comme un "de rien" en plus poli), Pas vraiment quelque chose qu'on dirait en posant un plat sur une table ou en donnant une baguette de pain (à Lyon en tout cas). – XouDo Sep 19 '22 at 14:57
  • @XouDo Oui, c'est l'usage initial, mais je l'ai déjà entendu par anticipation a un merci virtuel qui n'avait alors plus lieu d'être, mais c'était dans le Sud-Ouest. C'est très proche du s'il vous plaît belge. – jlliagre Sep 19 '22 at 15:15